avoid getting taken for a ride. the top ways you're getting ripped off and what you can do about it. and the cost of college. where to find the best financial aide and which schools are the best value. your bottom line starts right now. we begin with what could be the some glimmers of hope in the housing market. according to the home price index, the index of homes has

increased. prices have gone up for the first time in three years. the highest increase in almost nine years and existing home sales are up 3.6%. positive signs suggesting the worst may be behind us, but folks continue to complain the obama administration is making the modification plan, it's not gaining enough traction. the treasury department talked to mortgage firms saying it's time to pick up the pace. here to discuss is john taylor. welcome. good to see you. i want to show you and our viewers some numbers here and it really describes what's going on. you see the pace of foreclosures starts higher and higher and then the pace of loan mod. not keeping track at all of foreclosures. why isn't the plan getting more

traction? >> well, for one, you know, it's really dependent upon the services. they voluntarily come in and participate in the program. that's been slow to come under the bush administration and slow to come under this administration. >> why don't they want to help? what's the hold up? >> well, i think for one, i think that a lot of these investors and services are waiting for what you were just talking about, the market to turn around so they don't have to take as big a hit. a lot of them don't have the capacity. they didn't staff up and then for another group of services investors, they want to offer something less than what the president is offering. the president's proposal, making home affordable will keep people in their homes long-term. a lot of these services want to offer something less than that resulting in another

foreclosure, but don't have to give as much. >> last week, we asked you to write in and share your experiences and we got lots of responses. what's really interesting here is now, these responses are really going to the next problem in the market and that's unemployment. that's forcing people into foreclosure as well. i want to turn now to two viewers, we promised we'd bring you on air. one is marty stall, necessary in phoenix, and alfonso. marty, you tried to get in on the president's making home affordable program the day after he announced it. tell us about your story. >> i'm seeking a loan mod because as you mentioned, many of us are unemployed. i was laid off in february of 2008 and was starting to run out of savings and the president's

announcement sounded great. what i did is the next morning, i called up wells fargo and they told me that i had to wait until april to file and then the beginning of april, they told me to still wait. i finally got the file on april 15th. i think that they accepted the filing or whatever they call it on april 22nd, and then i waited more and called every week to find out what was going on. >> but you're not really getting traction here, right? >> no. >> but he's not getting through and he's lost his job. is there anybody to turn to at this

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health care is a hot topic these days with president obama pushing for a massive overhaul

of the system. many of you have e-mailed us to ask questions about what these plans would mean. here to break it down is dr. healy, the health editor of the u.s. news and world report. welcome, doctor, great to see you today. >> nice to see you. >> i want to start with the dollars and cents of the plans. we've heard a lot of estimates about what they might cost. i want to know is if the plans go into effect, what will it cost me? will my costs go up or down? >> you're asking the question that every american is asking. when a tax bill is passed and they say i'll have to pay an extra percent, they understand what that means. but here, it's very, very hard to give that answer. we have the cbo looking for for the government to see how much

the government is going to have to pay. but we don't have the code for what individuals will have to pay. we know young people are going to have to pay more. >> okay, so young people will have to pay more. >> it's almost 1/3 of the money to pay is coming out of medicare. that means the elderly are making a huge donation to cover everyone else. there are also more subtle things on restrictions to elderly care that we won't see play out until health reform is fully in place. >> there are big questions and people are really concerned if their treatment is going to be dialed back in any way. will there be limits to the kinds of procedures or limits or drugs you can take.

>> what we are are structures in place that will make determinations of that. for example, a health benefits committee or a health choices administration. they will ultimately determine what people have to have in their insurance or have to pay out of their pocket. we don't know if our care is going to be dialed back and we won't know. >> it's certainly a massive program we're talking about here. there are lots of questions. not a ton of answers. we appreciate your coming on and telling us about these issues. thanks for your time today. everyone want it is best insurance and care when they step in their doctor's office, but sometimes, that's not always the case. so how do you know when it's time to fire your doctor? that's right. you can fire your doctor. doctor, yours is an amazing story. you fired not one doctor, but

two and in the space statiof a . people have doctor problems. they have long wait times. they get frustrated. but when does that rise to the level of, i've got to get this doctor out of here. >> it's important for every patient to know they have a choice. if things are not going well in the office, if your doctor has a poor bedside manner or is staff is rude or you don't get telephone calls answered, it's time for you to kind of take a look at the situation and decide if you really want to stay. if it's worth staying at that practice. >> but wouldn't it make more sense to maybe go to the office manager or someone and say, you know, look, i'm having problems. the doctor has a rude bedside manner. i was waiting for an hour. would that maybe prompt some

change? >> absolutely. you should always speak to the office staff first and even try to make them your friends because you need them for all sorts of things, from scheduling appointments to dealing with insurance problems. so have a good relationship with the office staff so that you can talk about things like this. and also feel free tro talk to the doctor if things are so intolerable that you're actually considering leaving. >> how long is too long to wait in the office? i hear all kinds of horror stories about people waiting an hour, two hours. how long should you be willing to wait? >> that is such an individual question. i do think it's important for doctors to be respectful of your time, but sometimes doctors get caught up in the emergency room or because of surgeries. there are other emergencies that happen. if you love your doctor and it's just something that happens now

and then because of those circumstances, then i certainly wouldn't recommend leaving. >> so you got to give me the nuts and bolts here. what do i need to do if i'm firing my doctor. what paperwork do i take with me, are there any fees or charges? >> it's your right to have your records so it's probably best to request those records in writing. sometimes, there is a copying charge. there often is not. but it's definitely something within your legal rights and should be transferred to your next doctor because that doctor will need it in order to have the full information to help you take care of your health. >> thanks for your time today. >> thank you very much. a new survey says the public policy think tank revealed 52% of respondents citing medical

expenses contributing to their credit card debt. 37% are relying on credit cards to cover basic living expenses and hispanics have the highest credit card level while african-americans have the lowest. if using your credit card never works well because the price is so high. penalty fees can easily escalate your monthly bill. a better strategy is break certificates or turn to your family for a loan. if you talk to creditors, they may well extend the period you have to pay them back. it's time to start thinking about back to school. we have the list of the best college values in the country, next. it molds better... it grips better... and seals better.

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higher education doesn't come cheap and if you're a parent or a student or know a parent or student, we'll show you how to find a perfect college for your budget. joining us now, the author of the princeton' view's best 371 colleges. you actually interview students to find out what they think and

they're the ones who are living this thing, so they are a great source. let's walk through some colleges now. which school makes their students happiest with financia financial aid this year. >> you're so right. we go to the college experts. current college students and ask about their experiences, around financial aid ed schedulely this year. >> everyone's having a hard time with financial aid. there are virtually no private loans. what is the best way? >> swarthmore college in swarthmore, pennsylvania. an excellent school. $44,800 but giving out amazing amounts of aid and students are graduating with no loan debt. meeting that aid 100%. >> wow. where are students least happiest about their financial aid? >> this year it is "nyu," unusual sun spect on our list. price tag around $48,000,

$49,000 a year, big loans a year. 35.5 after the four-year degree. >> a lot of debt. expensive to live in new york. best value. public and private. start with the private school. what's the best value out there? i asam you're looking at what you're getting for the money? >> true. what you're getting for the money and also the experiences a student was learning in the classroom. were challenged, professors were teachers, increased class discussion and then financial aid factors. were they meeting your need 100%? what overall student neepd was met and the average indebteds in students were graduating with, this year, swarthmore college. >> they're winning everything. >> they really are. well deserved. the experience in the classroom, unapologetic saying how clearly wonderful their teachers are and that classroom experience is good and the financial aid as

well. university of virginia, number one on the list. >> great school. >> students in state, $16 rshgs 300. >> you have to live there to get that price. >> out of state student, 35.5. average aid package a student is getting is around the $35,000 mark. able to do the near possible. to me the students need 100%. >> one of the most important things about a college now for so many students what are the career services like? that translates into, are you going to help me get a job when i graduate? so many kids coming out of school now cannot find a job. who has the best career service program? >> number one on our list this year is university of florida, rated by students. university of florida, an exceptional school academicalla, a big school, but the center is a staff with 17 full-time professors all devoted to career services, inside and outside the classroom. so experiential learning opportunities, and first-time jobs when out of school.

>> parent want to know -- students want to know -- what is the best party school? >> number one on our party list, voted by students, is -- penn state, usual suspect, but this is the first time it's in the number one spot. >> slowly climbing the rankings? >> it has slowly climbed the ladder. >> robert, thank you so much for your time. really appreciate it. >> thank you. all right, listen up. don't get ripped off. i have to repeat that. don't get ripped off. grab a pen and paper, we're going to show you how to avoid getting duped. (mom) he needed everything for college:

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money aside these days. what can do you when you know you're being taken for a ride? maurice joins us with some of the ways you're getting ripped off and how to avoid getting duped. great information. wind you up. atm fees are high, but you say you might not realize what you're really paying? >> so everyone's sadly used to atm fees these days. if i'm a citibank customer, i go bank of america. i know i'm getting charged $3. citibank is actually charging you, too. >> your own bank charges you for using somebody's the atm.

>> exactly. consumers are getting hit twice. >> the way to avoid it, don't use out of network atms. >> go in the bank, write yourself a check and walk away with cash and you won't get charged a fee. >> a lot of rip-offs in warranties. what's the best way to go and what's the down side? >> you want a warranty. you want the protection, but a lot of people -- most people typically buy it directly from a retailer, the warranty. then you're really getting hit. $350 toshiba laptop. the warranty costs $280. >> what? >> that's 80% of the purchase price. >> that's crazy. you're almost paying what you paid for the laptop. >> exactly. >> that makes me nuts. okay. obviously you can probably shop around for a warranty. where do i go? >> go to a third party warranty provider, get a much better deal typically at a much cheaper price. for that same toshiba laptop,

third party, squaretree.com, charging $100 for a three-year warranty. >> better. and theater snacks. >> theater snacks, movie watchers of captivating audiences. popcorn can be -- lows in manhattan. you would pay for a 5.3 ounce of peanut m&ms, $4.25. you don't have to do that, clearly. plan ahead. >> pay 75 cents, you know, from the pharmacy. >> on the way there. save the money there. >> eye exams. i have to get a new driver license and told i have to have an eye exam to do it. where should i do it? >> you do have to get an eye exam, in most states, but -- lenscrafter, most eye exams providers are happy to charge you. so you can pay $65, up to $165. so you don't have to do that. go directly to the department of

motor vehicles and get it for free. >> love that. i want to change the tone. thas has been pretty much light stuff. there is something very serious that really affects a lot of people and usually at their most vulnerable. buying a casket. so people get charged $20,000 four times over cost, even more for caskets. you really have to search for something like this. >> you do. most people, clearly, people don't plan ahead for these things. you don't want to think about it. funeral homes offer you a one-stop shop. caskets, you're paying, like you said, three to four times the price you should be paying. >> all right. >> you have another option. the option here is you can actually buy directly from the manufacturer. >> that's obviously, that's the solution. i appreciate your help. thanks for bringing us this information. >> thanks for having me here today. as always, thank you for spending part of your saturday with us. "your bottom line" will be back next week right here on cnn. catch us on "hln" every saturday and sunday and